WD Takes Notebook Drives to 250 Gbytes

May 22, 2007

Western Digital said Monday that it has begun shipping a 250-Gbyte version of its Scorpio 2.5-inch disk drive, pushing notebook PC storage capacities ever higher.

Available in capacities ranging from 40 to 250 Gbytes, the new WD drives feature a pair of new technologies, which the company calls "WhisperDrive" and "ShockGuard". Prices on the new 250-Gbyte drives will be about $199, available from WD's online store.

Although the company touted the 250-GB Scorpio as the highest-capacity hard disk drive to date, it will have to compete with the Fujitsu MHY2BH, a similar 2.5-inch, 250-Gbyte drive whose shipments began last week, according to the company.

Like virtually all new hard disk drives, the WD Scorpio drives employ perpendicular recording, a technique to maximize the drive's capacity by aligning the magnetic grains vertically, rather than along the surface of the disk platter.

In addition, the new drives use a technique called "WhisperDrive," which adjusts the drive's controller to minimize head movement when seeking data. A complementary technology, "Intelliseek,", forces the drive to wait until it spins up before it seeks data, in a "just in time" procedure that also will stifle noise, the company said.

By 2011, shipments of mobile 2.5-inch hard drives will more than double 2006 shipment volumes, according to IDC.

Copyright 2007 by Ziff Davis Media, Distributed by United Press International


Rank 3 /5 (1 vote)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Need help reading 3-D
    created6 hours ago
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    created12 hours ago
  • Tabletop Cold Fusion Reactor
    created13 hours ago
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 13

Intel packs performance and reliability into its latest SSD 520 series

Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD ...

Electronics / Hardware

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4

Google rumored to have built Heads-Up-Display glasses prototype

(PhysOrg.com) -- 9to5Google is reporting that they have received a tip from someone they believe to be a reliable source saying that Google is working on a Heads-Up-Display (HUD) pair of eye-glasses. The per ...

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast weblog

New Kindle Touch is an impressive e-reader

When it comes to reading digital books, tablets are all the rage. But there's a lot to like about simple e-readers, which over the past year have become both a lot cheaper and a lot less clunky.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Apple to debut 'iPad 3' in March: report

Apple will unveil a new version of its market-ruling iPad table computer in March, according to a report in Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things D.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 1.9 / 5 (21) | comments 0


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.